Original air date October 13, 2008

Season 2 episode 3

Synopsis

Bogota, Columbia 2005. Sarah and Bryce are on a mission.They are being pursued by bad guys over a briefcase they carry. Bryce is caught and held at gunpoint. Sarah shoots the bad guy in the head while he holds Bryce close to him, holding a gun to his head.

A repeat of the last scene of the previous episode plays out as Chuck knocks on Sarah’s door and sees Bryce in her room. Chuck returns home, throws the rose he had for Sarah away and tells Ellie the ex is back in town. Ellie and Devon encourage him but he feels inferior to Bryce.

Bryce visits Sarah at the Orange Orange and she tells him their relationship is strictly professional going forward. Bryce takes Sarah’s hand just as Ellie peers into the shop before inviting Sarah to be a bridesmaid at her wedding. She leaves and tells Chuck what she saw.

Later at Castle, Casey and Chuck meet Sarah and they are given a mission to retrieve a chip from a Fulcrum agent and they must attend Von Hayes’ party. Bryce and Sarah will be a couple while Chuck is a waiter and they will try to find the chip. 

While getting ready for the mission, Chuck and Bryce discuss Sarah and their relationship. Chuck dismisses Bryce implying they are more than colleagues. Sarah steps out in a salmon evening gown and asks how she looks. Trying to cover his reaction in front of Bryce, Chuck tells her she looks great but red isn’t his thing. When Bryce sees Sarah is hurt at Chuck’s comment, he realises there is something between them.

At the party, Chuck waits on Hayes’ table to see if he flashes while Sarah and Bryce are dancing provocatively and kissing. Distracted, Chuck spills the wine in Hayes’ lap and then drops the bottle, he is promptly fired. What Chuck doesn’t see is Sarah blocking all attempts Bryce is making to be more intimate. As he is being escorted out, Chuck flashes on a woman’s voice who asks Hayes if he has her microchip.

Chuck reports to Casey and is ordered to get back inside. Sneaking in, he hides under a table and sees the confrontation between Hayes and the woman. Frightened when the woman shoots his bodyguard, Hayes drops his keys and Chuck flashes. The chip is in the key ring. When Chuck tells Casey the woman overhears and catches Chuck while Hayes escapes. Bryce and Sarah pursue but split when Bryce wants to catch Hayes and Sarah only cares about saving Chuck.

Hayes escapes and Sarah frees Chuck as the Fulcrum agent drops a flash bomb type grenade as they drive off. Sarah is knocked unconscious as she pushes Chuck to safety. Chuck then visits Sarah in the hospital, bringing her gardenias (her favorite flower) and sees multiple bouquets from Bryce. He comments he’ll always come in second to Bryce and Sarah responds, “not always”. Bryce is loitering in the hallway, incognito, and is spotted by Ellie and Devon. Devon grabs Bryce and offers to patch up his face while telling him that Sarah and Chuck are a thing and Sarah is in love with Chuck.

At the Buy More, the Mighty Jocks have taken over the theatre room playing Madden. Lester orders Morgan to deal with them and he ends up offering them video consoles to leave the store. When they come back for more blackmail, Morgan stands up to Mitt, the leader, and they square off in the supply room cage. Anna enters the cage fight when she sees Morgan getting beat up and takes Mitt down with a camera tripod as Casey calls into the CIA for a background check on Anna.

Bryce confronts Chuck outside his apartment to tell him Sarah is in danger because of her feelings for Chuck. Chuck assures him Sarah is competent. When a Fulcrum agent enters Sarah’s room in disguise to inject a substance into her IV she recognises he is Fulcrum and subdues him. 

Devon has intercepted flowers for Sarah and Chuck discovers they are from Hayes. He calls the number and tells Hayes they need to meet, he is Sarah’s boss. Chuck offers money for the chip, which angers Casey. Bryce, Chuck and Casey meet Hayes at the train station but the trade takes too long and Fulcrum agents arrive and disrupt the exchange. Hayes panics and runs but is caught by the agents. Chuck negotiates a peaceful exchange of Hayes for the money and Casey gives chase to get the money back. While leaving the station Chuck is taken at gunpoint by a female agent while Hayes runs. Bryce drops his weapon but sees Sarah hidden to the side with a situation paralleling the opening scene of the episode. He asks if she has it and she says yes but when she needs to shoot she can’t. Casey arrives behind and shoots the woman. He has the money and Hayes.

Bryce again confronts Chuck regarding Sarah and tells him he has to do the right thing with Sarah, that she is in danger because of her feelings for Chuck. He tries to leave Chuck with spy sunglasses because he is a spy, Chuck refuses.

In Castle, Sarah tells Casey she can handle the situation with Chuck but he acts like he can’t hear her. 

Before dinner with the family, Sarah approaches Chuck at the fountain but he interrupts before she can say anything and tells her that despite his feelings for her they have no future. They can’t ever be together. She is obviously upset, tearing up as she walks towards the apartment door. She pulls herself together and they enter the apartment with smiles on their faces. Ellie and Devon show Sarah wedding plans while Sarah looks back at Chuck, exchanging a longing look.

In his room, Chuck puts on the glasses that Bryce left for him and downloads a new version of the Intersect, again falling to the floor. “I hate Bryce Larkin”.

Points of Interest

• The Mighty Jocks are playing Madden NFL 2008. Mitt is playing as the 2007 Giants, the team Michael Strahan plays for as a professional athlete. They won the Super Bowl that season.
• Chuck is checking into Sarah’s background to find out her favorite flower to take to her in the hospital. Bryce orders multiple arrangements from a flower shop.
• The Chuck move of falling backward when receiving the Intersect update is identical to his original download in the pilot.
• The data on the chip that would compromise CIA agents includes information on Sarah Walker, Lauren Goldenberry, Scott Hatcher, and NSA agents John Casey, Sarah Cruz and Kevin Mock (who is a series editor).

References

• Grosse Pointe Blank- “off somewhere in Paraguay quelling a revolution with a fork,” is a reference to “I killed the President of Paraguay with a fork.”
• Karate Kid- “sweep the leg”.

• America’s Test Kitchen- The show Ellie is watching at the start of the show.
• Faces of Death- mentioned in the show.
• The Untouchables- the train station standoff.
• The Forbidden Dance- Chuck compares Bryce and Sarah dancing to the movie.
• Dead Man Walking- Jeff’s term for Morgan as he goes to face Mitt.

Music

Barracuda- Heart: Ana fights the Mighty Jocks

Skinny Love- Bon Iver: Chuck tells Sarah they have no future together.

Fake Empire- The National: Chuck finds Bryce in Sarah’s room.

The Hymn to Joy- Beethoven: Morgan cuts power to the theatre room.

Guaglione- Machito (Fanciulli, Salerno): Sarah and Bryce dance.